Gutter assembly unit for roof with no eaves

ABSTRACT

A gutter assembly unit having a U-shaped bracket for holding a gutter includes a cover attachment. The bracket has flanges extending away from a gutter-receiving channel defined by the bracket. The bracket locates the gutter between a rear rim that is outwardly bent from a rear wall of the bracket and the outwardly curved front rim of the bracket. A cover attachment is suspended on the curved front rim of the gutter. The bracket has attachment grooves formed in the bottom edge of the flanges in the area behind the lower front bend, directed at a sharp angle downward and to the rear. The cover attachment has a front wall of a height greater than the height of the bracket. A catch that engages the attachment grooves by elastic deformation of the cover attachment is integrally formed with a lower end of the cover attachment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a gutter assembly unit used in a drainagesystem for a roof, balcony or building terrace of which the front edgeof the gutter extends out over the facade, particularly for a buildinghaving a roof with no eaves.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Known gutter assembly units include a plurality of longitudinally spacedapart attachment brackets, each of which has a flat wall formingU-shaped cross section. These brackets collectively form a channel thatgirds the gutter, i.e., the gutter is received within the channelcollectively defined by the brackets. A flange is formed integrally witheach edge of each U-shaped flat wall and the flanges extend away fromthe channel in parallel relation to one another and in perpendicularrelation to the flat wall.

In buildings having a roof without eaves where the drainage system ofgutters and downspouts is typically sandwiched between layers of thermalinsulation, the gutters are shielded with a cover attachment suspendedon the front edge of the gutter. The cover attachment obscures thegutter substantially in the plane of the building façade for aestheticreasons.

A gutter assembly unit for a roof without eaves is disclosed in Germanpatent application specification DE29714562U as depicted in FIG. 3 ofthat specification. A drainage system for a balcony slab or terraceincludes a drip plate, gutter brackets connected to the front surface ofthe slab or the external building wall, a gutter with a right-angled-boxcross-section and a cover attachment mounted on the external shoulder ofthe gutter. This solution to the gutter assembly problem for roofshaving no eaves uses components made of aluminum channels and istechnically complex.

Gutter brackets of the most commonly used construction are U-shaped,with flanges directed external to the cross section girding the gutter,as aforesaid. An example of such structure is disclosed in utility modelPL 64347. The flanges have mounting members bent laterally outwardlywith mounting holes on the rear part of each bracket, i.e., the partsecured to the attachment surface. The gutter is sandwiched between therear wall of the bracket and the outwardly curved front rim of thebracket contiguous to the curved front edge of the gutter.

There is a need for a cover attachment that is effective to hide thegutter from view and which is easy to install. No tools should berequired to attach the cover attachment to the U-shaped brackets.

The needed cover attachment should be usable with a conventionalU-shaped bracket with only minor modifications made to the structure ofthe U-shaped bracket.

The known U-shaped brackets are also deficient to the extent that theydo not firmly secure the gutter within the channel.

Thus there is also a need for an improvement to the U-shaped bracketsthat would better secure a gutter within the gutter-receiving channel.

However, in view of the art considered as a whole at the time thepresent invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinaryskill in the art how the needed improvements could be provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for an improved gutterunit assembly for a roof without eaves is now met by a new, useful, andnon-obvious invention.

As disclosed herein, words such as “rear” refer to the side of the novelassembly that is closest to the building, i.e., the attachment surface,and words such as “front” refer to the side of the novel assembly thatfaces an observer of the building, i.e., the parts furthest from theattachment surface. Words such as “top” or “upper” refer to the openupper end of the gutter and the open upper end of the U-shaped bracketsthat receive and support the gutter. Words such as “bottom” or “lower”refer to the lower end of the gutter as well as the lower end/bottomwall of the U-shaped brackets. It is also understood that a gutter has alongitudinal extent and is mounted in a generally horizontal plane. Thebuilding wall/attachment surface to which the U-shaped brackets aremounted and the façade of the building are positioned in a generallyvertical plane. Words such as “inwardly” or “rearwardly” refer to thedirection from front to back, i.e., towards the attachment surface, andwords such as “outwardly” or “forwardly” refer to the direction fromback to front, i.e., away from the attachment surface. The term“lateral” thus refers to a direction perpendicular to the inwardly andoutwardly directions.

The structure includes a plurality of U-shaped brackets, each of whichhas an outwardly curved front rim that is adapted to underlie andsupport an outwardly curved front rim of a gutter.

The novel structure includes a cover attachment having an inwardlycurved front rim that overlies and engages the outwardly curved frontrim of its associated U-shaped bracket so that the cover attachment issuspended from the outwardly curved front rim of its associated U-shapedbracket.

Each U-shaped bracket has flanges that extend away from agutter-receiving interior space defined by the bracket. The interiorspace is adapted to receive the gutter in sandwiched relation betweenthe rear rim and the outwardly curved front rim of the bracket.

The cover attachment has a front wall that obscures the gutter when thebuilding is viewed by a viewer outside the building.

Attachment grooves are formed in the flanges of the U-shaped bracket ata bottom front end of the flanges at a sharp angle inclined downwardlyto the rear. Thus, a conventional U-shaped bracket is modified by theformation of said attachment grooves in said flanges at said location.

The cover attachment has a front wall of a height greater than theheight of the U-shaped bracket and a lower end of the cover attachmentis adapted to engage the attachment grooves.

In a first embodiment, the lower end of the cover attachment has firstand second bends formed therein. The first bend forms a first wall thatextends upwardly and rearwardly relative to the front wall of the coverattachment. The second bend forms a second wall formed integrally withthe first wall. The second wall also extends rearwardly and ispositioned in a plane perpendicular to the front wall of the coverattachment.

A catch is formed in a free end of the second wall and said catch entersinto the attachment grooves by elastic deformation under force impartedby a user.

Each U-shaped bracket is further modified by the addition of a straightrear tongue made of a bendable sheet metal strip welded in a verticalplane to a rear wall of the bracket. When the gutter installation issubstantially complete, the user bends the rear tongue forwardly intooverlying relation to a rear wall of the gutter, thereby securing thegutter in a manner that improves upon the prior art.

In a second embodiment of the cover attachment, the lower end of thecover attachment has first and second bends formed therein. The firstbend forms a first wall that extends inwardly from the front wall of thecover attachment in a plane substantially perpendicular to the frontwall. The second bend forms a second wall formed integrally with thefirst wall. The second wall is positioned in a plane parallel to avertical façade of the building in abutting relation to an externalsurface of the façade. In this second embodiment, the attachment groovesformed in the flanges of the U-shaped brackets are not used. Thestraight rear tongue continues to be used in the second embodiment.

In both embodiments, the gutter is positioned in the channel defined bythe U-shaped bracket.

An important object of the invention is to guarantee easy mounting ofthe cover attachment, said cover attachment being attached to thebracket by elastic deformation and in the absence of tools.

Another object is to provide the gutter area with favorablearchitectural aesthetics.

Another object is to provide a secure engagement of the gutter when theassembly is complete.

These and other important objects, advantages, and features of theinvention will become clear as this disclosure proceeds.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,combination of elements, and arrangement of parts that will beexemplified in the disclosure set forth hereinafter and the scope of theinvention will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be made to the following detailed disclosure, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a transverse cross section of the novel gutter assembly unit;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the novel cover attachment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the novel U-shaped bracket;

FIG. 4 a transverse cross section of the gutter assembly unit with asemi-circular profile;

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-section of a second embodiment of the novelgutter assembly unit, used for a roof without eaves, where the frontcurved rim of the gutter is located higher and beyond the upper edge ofthe building façade; and

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross section of a cover attachment for thesecond embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of the novel structure whichis denoted as a whole by the reference numeral 10.

Exemplary unit constructions disclosed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are adjustedto the conditions of a building with a roof without eaves where oppositesides of an un-numbered outer wall are covered with a layer ofinsulation 10 and a layer of plaster façade 9. The total thickness ofthe outer wall, both layers of insulation 10 and the layer of plasterfaçade 9 is greater than the width of gutter R.

Drainage water drips from the roof to gutter R via a drainage plate, notvisible in the drawing. The location of gutter R with a right-angled-boxcross section is set by brackets U, said brackets being attached to awooden or plastic fascia board under the roof allowing for the anchoringof the brackets via screws through the holes in laterally-extendingmounting members 7.

Each bracket U has the shape of a hook of dimensions predetermined bygutter channel R, and is formed from sheet steel in a U cross sectionthat girds the gutter R with flanges directed externally.

Gutter R is set in bracket U between rear tongue 1 in the form of astraight but bendable strip of sheet metal welded to the rear surface ofbracket U. Rear tongue 1 is bent by hand in overlying relation to therear edge of gutter R after the gutter has been mounted into bracket Uand is resting on the curved front rim at the front end 2 of bracket U.Such bending of said rear tongue 1 secures the gutter in the channeldefined by the U-shaped bracket.

Bracket U has attachment grooves 3 formed in the bottom edges of theflanges in the area behind/rearwardly of the lower front bend, directedat a sharp angle α (FIG. 1). Each groove is sloped downward to the rear.

Cover attachment M is suspended on the curved front rim of gutter R, andhas a front wall 4 of height H greater than height h of bracket U and anoblique wall 5 bent upwardly and rearwardly from the lower edge of frontwall 4. Catch 6 is formed in the free end of a second wall that isformed integrally with oblique wall 6 and bent at an angle with respectthereto. The second wall is perpendicular to front wall 4.

After cover attachment M is secured to front rim 2, by pressing thelower end of front wall 4 in a forward-to-rearward direction, theassembler causes the elastic deformation of bracket U and the insertionof catch 6 into the attachment grooves 3 of cover attachment M.

Holes 8 are located in the outwardly curved front rims 2 of brackets U,through which holes, in the final assembly operations, cover attachmentM and gutter R are fixed with tubular rivets.

The assembly unit solution disclosed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 may also beused in the situation of a roof with eaves, gutters of a semicircularprofile and assembly of brackets U directly to the element constitutingthe façade of the building, as depicted in FIG. 4.

The example of the gutter assembly unit illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6differs from the above-disclosed installation conditions. Gutter R islocated above and behind the upper edge of façade 9.

The lower end of this embodiment of cover attachment M has first andsecond bends formed therein. The first bend forms a first wall thatextends inwardly from the front wall of the cover attachment in a planesubstantially perpendicular to the front wall. The second bend forms asecond wall formed integrally with the first wall. The second wall ispositioned in a plane parallel to a vertical façade of the building andis disposed in abutting relation to an external surface of the façade asdepicted.

Cover attachment M and gutter R are fixed with tubular rivets 8 to therespective front rims of the brackets collectively denoted U in thisembodiment also.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those madeapparent from the foregoing disclosure, are efficiently attained andsince certain changes may be made in the above construction withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatters contained in the foregoing disclosure or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindisclosed, and all statements of the scope of the invention that, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:
 1. A gutter assembly unit for a building with noroof eaves, comprising: a U-shaped bracket having an outwardly curvedfront rim that is adapted to support an outwardly curved rim of agutter; a cover attachment having an inwardly curved front rim thatoverlies and engages said outwardly curved front rim of said U-shapedbracket so that said cover attachment is suspended from said outwardlycurved front rim of said U-shaped bracket; said U-shaped bracket havingflanges that extend away from a gutter-receiving channel defined by saidbracket; said gutter-receiving channel adapted to receive a guttertherein; said cover attachment having a front wall adapted to visiblyobscure the gutter from face-on view; attachment grooves formed in saidflanges of said U-shaped bracket at a bottom front end of said flanges;said attachment grooves formed in said flanges of said U-shaped bracketat a sharp angle that is inclined downward and rearwardly; said coverattachment having a front face of a height greater than the height ofthe U-shaped bracket; and a lower end of said cover attachment adaptedto engage said attachment grooves.
 2. The gutter assembly unit of claim1, further comprising: said lower end of said cover attachment havingfirst and second bends formed therein; said first bend forming a firstwall that extends upwardly and away from said front wall of said coverattachment; said second bend forming a second wall formed integrallywith said first wall, said second wall positioned in a planeperpendicular to said front wall of said cover attachment; a catchformed in a free end of said second wall; said catch entering into saidattachment grooves by elastic deformation.
 3. The gutter assembly unitof claim 1, further comprising: said U-shaped bracket having a reartongue made of a bendable sheet metal strip welded to a rear wall of thebracket.
 4. The gutter assembly unit of claim 1, further comprising:said lower end of said cover attachment having first and second bendsformed therein; said first bend forming a first wall that extendsinwardly from said front wall of said cover attachment in a planesubstantially perpendicular to said front wall; said second bend forminga second wall formed integrally with said first wall, said second wallpositioned in a plane parallel to a vertical façade of said building;said second wall disposed in abutting relation to an external surface ofsaid façade.